theotherchad

We're looking at renting a VRBO in Galveston, and I have a question. 

When I input our check in and check out dates, checking in on the 3rd and checking out on the 5th, that would be two nights in a hotel. But when I search those dates in the area on VRBO, the pricing on the website shows the per day cost and calculates the total as 3 days. 
 

Is that just how VRBO works? They charge you for your check out day as well? 

I feel silly asking, but the website has zero sort of FAQ about something so simple and fundamental. 

3 minutes ago, Galveston Cruiser said:

The island is not that large and any map will show it is laid out in a grid.  I have utilized google maps all over the world when driving and not had an issue.  Granted, some can't find their way out of the driveway.  But the island is very easy to navigate.

I don' t generally have any issues as we are on the island at least 6 or 8 times a year for the last decade or more (COVID first year excepted), but I have definitely encountered some gridlock and way more traffic than usual on those special event weekends. 

12 hours ago, Galveston Cruiser said:

We live here and have never had an issue getting around.  We learn what streets will be closed and use alternative vs. Broadway. Seawall and Harborside.  Road closures are always posted on FB by the City.

I'm sure there are advantages to being local, but most people aren't going to have that info. We've either debarked or embarked during the Shrimp Festival once and during the Lone Star Rally once. Both times, it was a madhouse for us. Not insurmountable, but definitely inconvenient. We know our way around the island in general, but didn't have any special knowledge of alternate routes. 

On 3/25/2024 at 1:24 PM, ldubs said:

To be serious, a lot of posts here about differences without saying what the differences are.  I don't think I've given much thought to any differences based on passenger make-ups beyond the obvious.  Maybe more curmudgeons in some ports than others, IDK.  

 

Yes, there has been not enough details, such as marmalade thievery and the like. These are the details I need! 😁

23 hours ago, ssb said:

Galveston cruising is not a madhouse on those special weekends .

 

Not once you're at the cruise terminal and on the ship it's not, but getting around the island can be a bit challenging on those days. 

5 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 I'd say the biggest issue isn't "infrastructure" in the Houston/Galveston area but the lack of diversity in ports available to mass market lines wanting to offer 7 day or shorter cruises.

You got that right! They used to toggle back and forth through about 8 or 10 ports and now, it seems they toggle between 3 or 4. 

10 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

No, in my opinion, sailing out of Galveston is NOT the friendliest demographic. 

The friendliest and accepting was Amsterdam or Venice. The least was Galveston and New Orleans.

 To be fair, I wasn't saying that Galveston was the friendliest demographic, just that many cruisers and cruise staff over the years have told me that it was friendlier than some other ports. 

But your experience is just as valid as theirs and I appreciate your input on the thread. Thanks for sharing! 

18 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

We’ve sailed a number of lines from a number of ports.  Rather than the port seeming to have influence on the passenger mix, we have noted obvious differences between the demographics choosing to sail different lines.

I'm sure that is true, but I think that the biggest differences in the passenger mix (when sailing mass market) are in the length of the cruise. Basically, the shorter the cruise, the younger the average age onboard and the more party oriented the crowd will be. 7 day is the most average mix and any cruises over 7-10 days, the average age goes up dramatically! 

16 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Cruises out of the Port of NY/NJ have a very different vibe than that of TX based cruises. 

Is it just general level of friendliness or is there more? 

BTW, I have lived in NYC in my youth and I did discover that, while New Yorkers and Eastern Seaboard folk in general are less likely to greet and smile at strangers, the actual friendliness of the people there is pretty much the same once you get to know them. 

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone!

Just now, c-leg5 said:

 

Sometimes there can be a period of readjustment when a ship changes location and this has certainly been reported when new ships come to Galveston.
 

You asked on another thread about differences when sailing from other locations. The converse is true when a ship changes home port and crew have to adapt to the new predominant demographic. 

I inquired of the cruise director on his Facebook page as to whether there would be a lot of new crew, and his reply was that it was just the usual transition from those starting new contracts and finishing old ones. No significant change in the crew. 

I'm hoping that the crew will like us better than the Florida pax. A little healthy rivalry is fun! 😁

2 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Yes they will do that sometimes too. In order to sail between two US ports they need to visit a distant foreign port, often one of ABC islands. Sometimes they decide to just do a short non-revenue cruise instead.

I'm hoping that since the crew and staff will get a short break from the cones (what I'm told they call passengers sometimes), that they'll be rested and ready to be the happy, helpful folks we've always found them to be. 😁

1 minute ago, c-leg5 said:

 

I was using the word infrastructure loosely to include lodging, transport (from the airport and locally), parking, food venues etc. - just general supporting services

I think all the issues you listed are an issue for some folks and not as much for others. I wonder how Galveston will stack up against some of the much busier ports like Miami (when we have significantly more ships than we do now)  when it comes to how difficult all those factors are (parking, getting to the port, etc.). I've heard lots of horror stories and accounts of things being super easy. Everybody's experience is different, I guess. 

I would say that unless it's during one of the big holidays/festivals/biker ralllies, etc. I don't see an issue with there being sufficient restaurants, etc. On those weekends, though, all bets are off. Galveston is a madhouse during those special weekends. 

1 minute ago, TexCruise371 said:

 

We will not be going to the new destination. We will go diving with the same folks as always and enjoy the wonderful restaurants, restaurants and shops on the island.

We won't likely be going there either, because we have settled on Nachi Cocom as the vibe/price combo that we like best. Being as familiar as I am with the Royal Caribbean product in general, I can't imagine that they will curate anything like the mellow, laid back atmosphere we find at Nachi. 

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

The vibe is different out of San Juan because there is a larger number of Latino passengers. Different too out of the UK. 

Did you note different venues (pool, nightclub, particular bars, etc) were more or less crowded based on those differences? 

Just now, c-leg5 said:

The one Mariner sailing is an anomaly and yes they could have done something more exciting possibly. 
 

We had a great repositioning Galveston to Bayonne 2022 and Voyager San Juan to Galveston 2023 booked but they are few and far between.

 Yeah, I think you're right. By the way, interestingly, the cruise we're booked on is the first Mariner sailing out of Galveston after some time spent sailing out of Port Canaveral, but there does not seem to be a booking available for a repositioning cruise between Canaveral and Galveston. They are just going to sail without passengers in the 4 day gap between the last debarkation in Florida and the first embarkation on our island. 

On 1/12/2024 at 5:51 PM, c-leg5 said:

 

However building ports and bringing in new big ships isn’t going to be sustainable if the supporting infrastructure isn’t there. 

I do think we are seeing a huge increase in hotel capacity. The biggest challenge is the distance from the airports to the port. However, being close to Houston, I don't think infrastructure is a big issue, as Houston is enormous. Cruise activity is a blip on the radar for a city of 6-7 million. 

2 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Because with the bigger ship those are the only ports it can go in the time.

I am sure that for the 7 day Oasis sailings, that's a factor, but we're on a 7 day (the only one) on the Mariner, a Voyager class ship. Same ports. Grand Cayman is tender only anyway and we've hit those other ports several times for Voyager Class Galveston 7 day sailings in the past. 

In years past, Royal, when sailing out of Galveston on 7 day cruises was rotating which ports were on the itinerary for western Caribbean cruises. There were about 7 or eight options in the western Caribbean. Now, it's hard (impossible, lately) to find a Western Caribbean itinerary that goes anywhere other than Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.

I enjoy those ports but I would also like some variety without having to fly to another port. What happened to the Georgetown Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios/Montego Bay/Falmouth Jamaica, Progresso Mexico, etc stops?

Does anyone know why Galveston sailings are almost entirely (with the exception of some Bahamas, etc Eastern Caribbean cruises which are almost all 8 or more day cruises) limited to only 3 cruise ports these days? 

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I frequently do 3-4 day cruises out of Florida ports. The passenger demographic is significantly different on shorter cruises out of Port Miami compared to Port Canaveral…not better, not worse, but definitely different. 

 Details, my friend, details! 

3 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

There definitely is a different cruise crowd based on length, location and time of year. Not necessarily for better or for worse, just different.

One cruise I swear half the state of Arkansas was on board.

Yeah, we have found some anomalies over the years. Once, we had the same thing you describe regarding a ship full of folks from Arkansas. Turns out, Arkansas state laws requires that all school districts observe spring break on the same week. The only noticeable difference was that there were more kids and teens on board than we expected, as this was a date that did not coincide with Texas spring break. Still a great cruise! 

Another time, not sure why, but there were about 500 Mexican nationals onboard. Most were from the Monterey area. Apparently, there was a local travel agent that sold a bunch of people a package where they flew to Houston and sailed back to Mexico, then sailed back to Texas and flew back to Mexico. 

The only difference there was that Boleros was packed (and I mean super PACKED) every single night. Also, there was a kareoke contest with several tryouts, and the final was in the main theater. I was in the final and I lost (winner was determined by audience volume for each contestant) to a Mexican gentleman who sang a song by "El Rey" (IYKYK). 

I wasn't salty at all, because, honestly, that guy was an amazing singer! 

Side note? The folks from Mexico were easily the best dressed folks on the ship. 

28 minutes ago, Mom*3 said:

Security approached her and asked if she was 21, she said “Yes”. He asked to see her SeaPass, she handed it right over. Then he said “Is this actually your card?” I immediately said “She’s 22!”  He gave me a strange look, then moved on. At the time, I was a little irritated, but in the big picture, probably good that they check. 
 

I'm sure that was irritating, but to be fair, at my age, everybody under maybe 35 looks like a 15 year old to me. 😁

3 hours ago, soremekun said:

Pro tip:  Pretend you're drunk and throw yourself violently at the machine.

Some may not need to pretend. 😁

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

No offense taken. I live on the beach. I'm well aware that I have a different perspective.

 Glad to hear it! 😁 

Personally, I'm glad that folks have different preferences. If everybody liked the same things we do, then everything we wanted to do would be overcrowded and overpriced! 

1 minute ago, Charles4515 said:

Sure if you cruise out of Florida there will be more Florida transplant retirees. Out of San Juan more Puerto Ricans. Out of Southhampton UK more British, As far as dress up in the evening I notice little difference out of any US ports, Florida, Texas, New York area out of the UK the British definitly dress up in the evening more than Amrican passengers boarding there. 

Sure, obviously, I would think that you get more folks at each port who live in proximity to those ports, but do you note any significant differences in vibe? I know that "vibe" can be hard to quantify. 

By the way, I do hope that folks are kind in their replies. I'm not looking to hear "(insert port) is THE WORST?"